Journey Across the World

Enjoy reading Dianna’s comments about how they celebrate various holidays. Think about what is the same and what is different for us here at Nett Lake.

Hello boys and girls!

It was so nice meeting all of you in the library!  I am enclosing a few pictures of where we live in
Okinawa, Japan to start.  My husband, Steve, has also sent his information as a way of introduction. Let me tell you a little of our daughter, Katy. She is 8 years and in the 3rd grade at Bechtel Elementary school in Okinawa. It is the U.S. Government school here (called DODD- Department of Defense) and her school has over 800 children enrolled, all students somehow connected to the U.S. Government.

They are getting ready for Halloween, she is going to be a ladybug.  The Japanese do not celebrate Halloween like we do, but, they do like the idea. So, they are allowed to come on base to do trick-or-treating. They love it! They especially love our chocolate (I am not sure why, they have good chocolate too!) Although I am in Minnesota this year, I was there last year and I bought over 1000 pieces of candy (candy bars). Can you believe, we had so many people trick or treating that my candy bars only lasted an hour!!! Isn’t that incredible?

The other thing that impressed me abotu Halloween, is that the Japanese children were so very polite! The American kids acted as if they were just gatheringn candy, while the Japanese children were especially polite in asking and in saying thank you. I am a big fan of “please and thank you”.

That’s all for now. We look forward to hearing from all of you.

Oh, there were a few of you who wanted me to write your names in Hiragana. Sned me an email, I will personally deliver your names in Hiragana to the school!  I will do my best to get them correct!:)

Dianna

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving twice. First, Steve, Dianna, Ian and Katy went to the MCAS Futenma Officer’s club for an early meal. It was a beautiful setting overlooking the East China Sea. Then, we went to find the motorcycle rental place near Naha. After a few wrong turns (kinda hard when you get your directions in broken Engrish), we found Route 66. The only place on Okinawa that rents motorcycles. They have a beautiful selection and they asked Ian to test drive the biggest Harley they had. He did, managed to remember to stay left, and we had our choices made for Friday.
Once back home, Dianna started cooking our “Thanksgiving -light”. Selections made by the family so we could all have our favorites, but, not a full meal since we already had one. Unfortunately, Dianna thought Steve was kidding when he said “Oyster stuffing”, so there was no stuffing on the menu. In her defense, she is sure he said “Oysters Rockefeller stuffing”, which sounds like he’s kidding, right? Now, Dianna knows he meant it and will try to find a good recipe for future Thanksgiving meals, in case he asks again.

So, it turns out that if you have alot of favorites, you kinda have a regular meal going on. Dianna even managed pumpkin pecan bread, yummy. Curtis got off work at 1800 and made his way here. He invited 6 friends and we had a multicultural, multilingual gathering. It was great fun. It is always a pleasure to hear Steve talk to anyone who doesn’t speak clear English.  All of the guests must have been hungry as they ALL cleaned their plate. Ian made an amazing apple crumb pie to add to the limited dessert selection of pumpkin pie. Thank goodness because it was VERY good. And since Dianna also forgot Katy’s favorite- pineapple upside down cake. But, again- how can that be a favorite at Thanksgiving since I have never made it for Thanksgiving, she was kidding right?

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day. After cleaning up, Steve, Dianna and Ian watched the first Christmas movie of the season, TSO’s Night before Christmas short.

It is Friday morning here now. Steve and Ian went to the scuba store to take advantage of the Black Friday sale. Ian has gotten his scuba qual while here and we all went diving Wednesday down at the Kerama Islands.  Talk about beautiful! It is literally like swimming in a bathtub, that water is so clear. Of course, assuming your bathtub has coral reefs and tropical fish in it! We hope to dive at least one more time while he is here. But, today we are riding Harley’s around the island. They are picking them up right now as Katy and Dianna get dressed (really- so Katy could sleep in and Steve could keep Dianna away from the sale) and pack a lunch for us!  We will post pictures on facebook.

Life is good, very good.

Love,

Papa/Dad/Steve
Mom/Dianna

Welcome to our new blog! Nett Lake Students are blogging with Dianna Good Sky-Hertig and her family. We are looking forward to a great year of sharing questions and information about our home-Nett Lake-and Dianna and Steve’s home-Japan. We hope you will check in often to see where this journey is taking us!

Take a few minutes and read this biographical summary of Steve. Think about the choices he made to be in the position he is in now. What do you think he had to do to succeed? He is finishing up a long career in the military. Can you see yourself following in his footsteps? What do you think are some of the “perks” of his job? The downside?

LtCol Steve “Dog” Good Sky-Hertig

Current Assignment: III MEF  G-3 Fires  Planner

Civilian Education: BS Animal Husbandry, Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture

Military: Masters in Military Studies, Marine Corps Command and Staff College

Steven James Hertig was born 26 June 1956 in Morristown, NJ.  Twelve years of Catholic education predestined him to be a Marine.  After college, he worked at a couple of farm jobs before, in the summer of 1982, heading down to the All-Services Recruiting Station in Reading, PA to join the Navy (his father was a SeaBee in WWII) to fly helicopters.  As it happened, the Navy recruiters had taken a meritorious afternoon off, but the Marine recruiter had not, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Failing the eye exam at OCS and losing his aviation guarantee, LtCol Good Sky-Hertig, undeterred, accepted a ground contract.  He graduated 3^rd in his class at Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Marines on 17 Dec 1982.  His continued hard work secured him a Naval Flight Officer (aircrew) Candidate slot by graduating 2^nd in his class from The Basic School.  He then went to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola for flight training and got his “wings of gold” in May of 1984.  He chose to pursue a career in Electronic Warfare and was a distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force Electronic Warfare Training Squadron on Mather Air Force Base (AFB) in California.  He completed his training in the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare jet with Navy Tactical Electronic Attack Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) on NAS Whidbey Island, WA and reported to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron Two (VMAQ-2) on Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, NC in the late summer of 1985.  He spent the next 10 years “in the cockpit” holding jobs (billets) in Maintenance, Operations and Administration.  His 2700+ flight hours includes over 600 hours in the EA-6A, a two-seat predecessor to the four-seat Prowler, accumulated during a tour on the staff of Marine Air Group (MAG) 42 Detachment C in Whidbey Island, WA.  As the Det’s operations officer, he oversaw the mobilization, transition to the EA-6B, and subsequent deployment to Iwakuni, JA of VMAQ-4 (then in the 4^th Marine Aircraft Wing, United States Marine Corps Reserve).  After returning from the “mother of all drill weekends” (5 months in the western Pacific allowing VMAQ-2 to reconstitute after Desert Shield/Storm), he oversaw the transition of the squadron to the active ranks and transfer to MCAS Cherry Point.  There, he did another deployment to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan (bringing his total to 5 in his career) and a 3 month deployment to NAS Sigonella, Italy in support of Operation Deny Flight with VMAQ-4 (his only “combat” time).

After attending Marine Corps Command and Staff College in AY 95-96, LtCol Good Sky-Hertig was sent to U.S. Atlantic Command in Norfolk were he spent 44 months as an action officer in the Joint Reconnaissance Center of the J-3 Operations Directorate.  During this tour, he attended the Armed Forces Staff College and was designated a Joint Specialty Officer (JSO).  His JSO designation served him well in his next assignment as an instructor at the Joint Forces Staff College.  In 2003, he took one year orders to III Marine Expeditionary Force (IIIMEF) where he worked as a Fires Planner for the G-3 Operations section.  He then returned to Norfolk to the staff of Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Atlantic where he was Assistant Chief of Staff for Aviation.  In 2007, LtCol Good Sky-Hertig accepted his next to last set of orders which brought him back to Okinawa and IIIMEF where he is again a planner in G-3 Fires.  He will accept his last set of orders transferring him to the retired list effective 1 January 2011, ending a 28 year career of military service to the country and his fellow Americans.  He will then train for the most important job he will ever face, kindergarten teacher.

In June 2007, LtCol Hertig married Dianna Good Sky in a traditional Native American ceremony on the Fortune Bay Pow Wow grounds.  Once married, they both became Good Sky-Hertig. They currently live on Okinawa Shima (Okinawa Island) in the Ryukyu archipelago located between the main Japanese islands (Honshu, Kyushu, Hokaido) and Taiwan.  Between them, they have 5 adult children, one 8 yr old daughter and 7 grandchildren…and two dogs.